The University of Richmond men’s basketball team opened its 2025-26 season with an 84-56 win over Division III Southern Virginia University on Wednesday Nov. 5 at the Robins Center, leaning on a deep rotation, rebounding edge and defensive energy to overcome a cold shooting night.
The victory was the 1,500th in program history, making the Spiders the 108th Division I team to reach the milestone.
Four Spiders scored in double figures, led by senior forward Jonathan Beagle with 12 points. Junior guard Collin Tanner and first-year guard Aiden Argabright each added 11, and junior guard Mikkel Tyne finished with 10 as Richmond won its season opener for the seventh straight year.
Argabright, making his college debut, provided an early spark that helped Richmond take control. He scored five straight points during a 10-0 run in the first half, added a fastbreak layup and three-pointer, and finished with a team-high three assists.
“I feel like we’ve got a lot of guys who can sub in,” Beagle said. “We want to play, and we want to play fast.”
Richmond’s depth was on display throughout the night. Fourteen players saw action and 12 scored, the most Spiders to score in a game since 2012. Mooney frequently rotated full groups, maintaining pace and pressure.
“I liked that the ball kept moving,” Mooney said. “It wasn’t like if one lineup was in, we did something very different or the ball stopped moving. We had guys who continued to move, continued to cut, and kept pressure on the defense.”
The Spiders controlled the glass, outrebounding Southern Virginia and holding a 14-0 edge in second-chance points. Richmond’s 47 rebounds were its most in a game since 2020. Senior center Mike Walz led the game with seven.
“Our energy, getting on the floor and attacking the backboard. All of those things were really positive,” Mooney said. “I think rebounding is something we can be good at and hopefully help us on nights we don’t shoot well.”
Richmond shot just 7-for-34 from 3-point range (21 percent) but hit 23 of 36 shots inside the arc (64 percent). The Spiders added 15 assists to just six turnovers, with Argabright’s three assists leading the team.
A 12-0 run later in the period helped the Spiders build a 42-25 halftime lead. Richmond opened the second half on a 20-4 stretch and led by as many as 33 points.
The win improved Richmond’s all-time record to 1,500-1,294 in 113 seasons. Mooney is now 18-3 in season openers during his 21-year tenure.
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Now 1-0, Richmond continues its homestand Saturday Nov. 8 at 6 p.m. against East Carolina University.
Contact sports writer Farah Šertović at farah.sertovic@richmond.edu
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